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Freezing: Freezing Peaches, Nectarines and Apricots
posted by Queen Bee 08-18-101 3:36 PM
Freezing Peaches, Nectarines, and Apricots
Halves and slices:
Fruit in halves and slices have better quality when packed in syrup or with sugar, but a water pack will serve if sweetening is not desired. Select firm, ripe fruit with no green color in the skins. Sort, wash, pit and peel. For a better product, peel fruit without a boiling-water dip. Slice if desired.
Syrup pack:
Use 50-percent syrup (1 cup sugar to 1 cup water). For a better quality product, add 1/2 teaspoon ascorbic acid for each quart of syrup. Put fruit directly into cold syrup in the container--starting with 1/2 cup syrup
to a pint container. Press fruit down and add syrup to cover, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Seal, label
and freeze.
Sugar pack:
To each quart (1 1/3 pounds) of prepared fruit, add 2/3 cup sugar and mix well. To retard darkening, sprinkle ascorbic acid dissolved in water over the peaches before adding sugar. Use 1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid in 1/4 cup cold water for each quart of fruit. Pack into containersleaving 1/2 inch headspace. Seal, label and freeze.
Water pack:
Pack peaches into containers and cover with cold water containing 1 teaspoon ascorbic acid to each quart
of water. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Seal, label and freeze.
Crushed or puree:
To loosen skins, dip peaches in boiling water 1/2 to 1 minute. The riper the fruit, the less scalding needed.
Cool in cold water, remove skins, and pit. Crush peaches coarsely, or, for puree, press through a sieve. Heat pitted peaches 4 minutes in just enough water to prevent scorching and then press through a sieve. With each quart (2 pounds) of crushed or pureed peaches, mix 1 cup sugar. For better quality, add 1/8 teaspoon
ascorbic acid to each quart of fruit. Pack into containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Seal, label and freeze.
